11 April 2016

Jamboree 2016 Speaker Spotlight: Julie Granka, PhD

Julie Granka, PhD., is a biologist and a statistician with expertise in genetics and evolution. Dr. Granka has experience developing and applying advanced computational tools to genetic data to understand population history and evolution. During fieldwork in South Africa, she collected and analyzed DNA samples from an African hunter-gatherer population to uncover the genetic basis of human height and skin pigmentation. Dr. Granka has also analyzed numerous other African populations to identify regions of the human genome where positive natural selection has occurred in recent history. In addition, she has studied the genetics of other organisms, including M. tuberculosis, the organism that causes tuberculosis. Dr. Granka received a B.S. in Biometry and Statistics from Cornell University and afterward received an M.S. in Statistics and a Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University.

Thursday, June 2, 2016 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
TH013 Understanding Your DNA Results through Population Genetics
Genetic genealogy and its tools are based in population genetics – the study of how the genetics of populations and groups of individuals have changed over time. We’ll delve deeper into various foundational principles of population genetics, and give examples of these principles as used in genetic genealogy research. Arm yourself with a firmer grasp of the underlying science and reasoning behind ethnicity estimation, DNA matching, DNA Circles, and other tools – allowing you to more effectively utilize them. Level: All.